Bricklayers line holder

ABSTRACT

A bricklayer&#39;&#39;s &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;trig&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; for holding intermediate portions of a stretched guide line accurately in place so that intervening bricks of each course may be laid in proper alignment in the same horizontal and vertical planes. The trig is so shaped as to facilitate insertion of an intermediate portion of the line and for positioning the line to correspond exactly to the height of the top surface of the guide brick, also so that a portion of the trig serves as a stop to limit the extent of insertion beyond the front face of the brick.

United States Patent [191 McKenzie BRICKLAYERS LINE HOLDER [76] Inventor: Leo A. McKenzie, 354Q Ridgeway Drive, Bethel Park, Pa. 15102 [22] Filed: Oct. 26, 1971 21 App]. No.: 192,416

[52] US. Cl. ..33/86 [5 1] Int. Cl. ....B43l 7/00, E04g 21/18 [58] Field of Search .33/85, 86

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,208,085 7/1940 Sabiston ..33/86 1,466,563 8/1923 Rutherford 7.33/85 [451 May 1, 1973 Primary ExaminerLouis R. Prince Assistant Examiner-Charles E. Phillips Attorney-William J. Ruano [5 7 ABSTRACT A bricklayers trig for holding intermediate portions ofa stretched guide line accurately in place so that intervening bricks of each course may he laid in proper alignment in the same horizontal and vertical planes. The trig is so shaped as to facilitate insertion of an intermediate portion of the line and for positioning the line to correspond exactly to the height of the top surface of the guide brick, also so that a portion of the trig serves as a stop to limit the extent of insertion beyond the front face of the brick.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 1, 1973 3,729,828

INVENTOR LEO A. MQKENZIE his ATTORNEY BRICKLAYERS LINE HOLDER This invention relates to a trig or line holder for bricklayers and masons for holding a portion of a guide line for laying successive horizontal rows of bricks or stones for building a wall.

An outstanding disadvantage of trigs or line holders used by brick layers and masons in the past has been that they do not position the line sufficiently accurately so as to correspond exactly to the top surface of the wall. Instead, they introduce errors corresponding to the thickness of the trig; also, they do not provide an easy means for introducing the line therein, or of providing a stop for limiting the extent of insertion beyond the face of the brick; also they are not held at right angles to such face. Moreover, they must usually be made of rather thick sheet material, adding to the cost and introducing errors.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel trig which overcomes the abovenamed disadvantages and which will very accurately position the line to correspond exactly to the top surface as well as the front surface of the guide brick, also which can be made of very thin and inexpensive material.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a trig having an angularly disposed handle portion and trough for accurately positioning the line to correspond to the top surface of the guide brick or stone, which trough also serves as a stop element to limit insertion into the mortar.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following description, taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top, perspective view of a corner of a brick wall, in the course of erection, showing a trig (or twig) embodying the present invention for holding portion of the guide line;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, transverse, cross-sectional view through the wall showing the side of the trig of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of the trig shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, perspective view of a modification of the trig; and,

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view of the trig shown in FIG. 4.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotes a brick wall having mortarjoints and one or more loose bricks, such as 2, for holding, by gravity, on a guide brick, a trig or line holder, generally denoted by numeral 3. The ends of guide line are anchored to end anchors 16 and the guide line is stretched between two of such anchors at the corners of the brick wall. The trig 3 is adapted to anchor or hold an intermediate portion of the guide line 9, as shown in FIG. 1, other intermediate portions being held by similar trigs (not shown) but ofa construction which is the same as that shown in FIG. 1. Such trigs hold intermediate portions of line 9 so as to correspond exactly to the height of the top surface of the course of bricks to be laid, as well as to correspond to the plane of the front surface thereof, so that the brick layer or stone mason will lay the bricks in exact horizontal alignment in the same horizontal plane, also with their front surfaces in the same vertical plane. For long spans and guide lines, intermediate trigs may be anchored to guide bricks of a particular course or one or more above or below.

The present invention relates to the specific construction of a trig, which is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein it will appear that the trig 3 is made from a single integral strip of thin sheet material, preferably spring metal, which has been bent back on its self at hinge portion 6 so as to define a top portion 4 and a lower portion 5.

By spreading apart portions 4 and 5 about 6 as a hinge, the downwardly bent, loop portion 7 is separated from the confronting portion of the top portion 4 to facilitate introduction, between portions 4 and 5, of the line 9 so that it will be seated in the space 8. Thereafter, by releasing the spread-apart portions 4 and 5, they will spring back to their original state, shown in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the portion of the trig adjacent hinge 6 is downwardly bent at an obtuse angle of the order of with respect to portions 4 and 5 so as to hold line 9 in such vertical position as to correspond exactly to the height of the top surface of the guide brick. Also the line 9 is positioned to accurately denote the plane of the front surface of the brick. More specifically, the top surface of line 9 coincides with the top surface of the brick. The right hand surface of the line, as viewed in FIG. 2, corresponds exactly to the vertical front face or surface of the brick wall with about one sixteenth inch clearance or separation to prevent contact.

Such construction compensates for errors otherwise introduced corresponding to the thickness of trig portion 4 or 5 as occurs in well known trigs. The downward loops 7, defining the beginning of the tapered portion, serves as a stop for limiting inward porjection of the trig beyond the front surface of wall 1 and assures that the trig portions 4 and 5 extend exactly at right angles to the front surface of the wall.

The trig may be made of very thin metal, such as steel, of the order of about one sixteenth or one thirtysecond inch or may be made of any other material, such as plastic material, preferably one having high strength, such as nylon.

In operation, line 9 is held taut by corner anchors 16 and thereafter portions 4 and 5 of trig 3 are sprung apart to permit an intermediate portion of line 9 to become seated as shown in FIG. 2, with the end of the line already in place in pocket 8. For a long line 9, several trigs, such as 3, may support the line at various intermediate points. Upon completion of one course of bricklaying, guided by the line 9, the trig or trigs are withdrawn and placed on guide bricks of the upper course of brick to accurately position and remove sag of the intermediate portion of the line 9 so as to guide the bricklayer in laying such upper course of brick, and so on, in succeeding upper courses. It is also possible, after a course is completed, to leave anchors 16 in place and merely lift the intermediate portion of the line to guide an upper (or lower) courses.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modification of a trig generally denoted by numeral 10, comprising a main portion 11 and an angularly downwardly extending handle portion 12 from which is stamped out or cut-out, from grooves 13, a tongue 14 for holding the line so as to correspond exactly to the height of the top surface of the brick and to the vertical plane of material, although it could be made of thin metal or other suitable material. The bent edge will serve as a stop which abuts against the front corner of the brick to limit inward insertion of the trig and to keep it at right angles to the front surface of the brick.

Thus it will be seen that l have provided an efficient trig or line holder for enabling bricklayers and stone masons to accurately anchor portions of a guide line so that the line will accurately denote the plane of the top surface of the bricks, or stones to be laid, as well as the plane of the front surfaces thereof, and whereby the line may be easily inserted in the trig and may be made inexpensively from very thin sheet material in strip form.

While I have illustrated and described several embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustration only and that various changes and modifications may be contemplated within the scope of the following claims.

l clairn:

l, A line holder for accurately positioning an intermediate portion of a guide line by bricklayers or stone masons in laying a horizontal row of stones or bricks while erecting a wall, said holder comprising a flat strip having a main portion and an angularly downwardly, extending portion, disposed at an obtuse angle to said main portion, said downwardly extending portion including a depending loop portion for receiving and supporting the line and shaped'so that the top of the line is in the same plane as the bottom surface of said main portion, so as to accurately denote the top plane surface and front plane surface of the stones or bricks.

2. A line holder recited in claim 1 wherein said holder is made up of a reversely bent strip of spring material to form a double layered main and downwardly extending portions, an intermediate portion of the lower layer of said strip forming said loop portion.

3. A line holder as recited in claim 1 wherein said depending loop portion is a central tab downwardly struck out from said main portion. 

1. A line holder for accurately positioning an intermediate portion of a guide line by bricklayers or stone masons in laying a horizontal row of stones or bricks while erecting a wall, said holder comprising a flat strip having a main portion and an angularly downwardly, extending portion, disposed at an obtuse angle to said main portion, said downwardly extending portion including a depending loop portion for receiving and supporting the line and shaped so that the top of the line is in the same plane as the bottom surface of said main portion, so as to accurately denote the top plane surface and front plane surface of the stones or bricks.
 2. A line holder recited in claim 1 wherein said holder is made up of a reversely bent strip of spring material to form a double layered main and downwardly extending portions, an intermediate portion of the lower layer of said strip forming said loop portion.
 3. A line holder as recited in claim 1 wherein said depending loop portion is a central tab downwardly struck out from said main portion. 